23 candidates seek Ireland South seat in European Parliament

A total of 23 candidates are seeking a seat to represent Tipperary and Ireland South in the upcoming European elections on May 23.

Ireland South currently has three MEPs - Sean Kelly and Deirdre Clune, both Fine Gael, and Liadh Ní Riada of Sinn Féin.

Among the prominent candidates is Independents 4 Change TD Mick Wallace; Fianna Fail TD Billy Kelleher; Junior Minister for Food, Forestry and Horticulture Andrew Doyle; Sheila Nunan, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation and president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, who is on the Labour ticket, and Liam Minihan, Independent, who is involved in the Fight the Pipe campaign to prevent water being piped from below Lough Derg to Dublin.

The constituency was due to gain an extra seat following Brexit, but that has now been put on hold until an agreement on its departure is solved.

The nominations consist of 

Jan van De Ven (Direct Democracy Ireland)

Diarmuid O’Flynn (Ind)

Billy Kelleher (Fianna Fáil)

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fáil)

Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael)

Liadh Ní Riada (Sinn Féin)

Grace O’Sullivan (Green Party)

Adrienne Wallace (Solidarity-People Before Profit)

Sean Kelly (Fine Gael)

Paddy Fitzgerald (Non Party)

Andrew Doyle (Fine Gael)

Walter Ryan Purcell (Non Party)

Peter O’Loughlin (Identity Ireland)

Liam Minehan (Non Party)

Theresa Heaney (Non Party)

Dolores Cahill (Non Party)

Maurice Sexton (Non Party)

Mick Wallace (Independents 4 Change)

Breda Gardner (Non Party)

Allan Brennan (Non Party)

Sheila Nunan (Labour Party)

Colleen Worthington (Non Party)

Peter Madden (Non Party)